Biaxial Fluxgate Magnetometer

Description

Physical and electrical properties of the moon and the interactions of the solar plasma with the moon were determined using a boom-deployed biaxial fluxgate magnetometer. One sensor was parallel to the spacecraft spin axis and was sampled once every 2 s or about two times per revolution, and the other was perpendicular to this axis and was sampled once per second. A sun-pulse generator was used to provide spin-phase information needed for vector field calculations. The two dynamic ranges of each sensor were plus or minus 50 nT and plus or minus 200 nT. Data were obtained in real time at a high information bit rate and in recorded mode once every 12 or 24 s. Failure of the telemetry system on February 3, 1972, terminated the useful life of the experiment.